Saturday, 13 May 2017

It's happening all over again

After yesterday's much quieter start and my last sighting of a 12 day stay of Greenshank, today felt even more quiet...initially.

Then a Hobby swept past at 07:00 and still talking about that I picked up an egret half way across the landfill, so some 450m+ out, heading North. It was too far to really say much about it thru bins, but it had already gone past, so I was scrambling to get it in the scope.

I failed to get onto to it to see the bill, but the size and it's jizz was all to big for Little and even though the mind tends to fizz in a panic, I saw no suggestion on pale feet and the legs seemed a little too long.

I have learned to trust my instinct having watched the same piece of sky for so long and I know my subconscious was telling me 'this is a big bird' and I am 99% happy this was yet another Great White Egret
It never fails to annoy me when you know something, but cannot say with 100% certainty about a birds ID.

So off John and I went in search of this bird, again off down the river, just like my first and second on November 5th 2009 and 5th September 2013 respectively.

We were met by a Barn Owl coming the other way by the bailey bridge, which is always nice. Marching on I showed Hurst Green Pit and the old Whistley pit area, such fond memories of the area in the early 1980's, but even as recent as 2003 when Turtle Dove still purred around that area. Who else remembers the significant numbers of Smew that gathered there before the delightful fishing club got their grubby claws on Hurst Green Pit and trashed in no time at all.

Anyway we saw nothing, but had a nice walk and a chat. Even the Lesser Whitethroat appears to have deserted the car park field.